


New Zealand

by Tacuma



Series: 50 First Meetings [13]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, Steve is an art student, tony is tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 06:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4511646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tacuma/pseuds/Tacuma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers is hitchhiking through New Zealand when he meets handsome Tony Stark from New York who has troubles with his car. In exchange for helping him fix it and offering him a place for the night, Tony takes Steve on a trip through the glow worm caves. He has more fun than he ever expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Zealand

**Author's Note:**

> So this is based on my own trip to New-Zealand, except that I didn't meet any hot guys. Also, I didn't hitchhike, I did another glow worm trip and there was a cabin free more me and my friend. So it's actually not alike at all.
> 
> Thank you [GreyPrince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyPrince/pseuds/GreyPrince) for beta-ing and thank you [CrimsonRomance](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonRomance/profile) for helping me with coming up with a good ending!

**New Zealand**   
  


Steve Rogers thanked the driver before he hoisted his pack onto his back and started walking. There had been times when he had wondered if it was a good idea, but when he was walking in the sun like this he knew backpacking in New Zealand was his best idea ever. After graduating art school he decided to get out of the country for a while and he didn't regret picking New Zealand. It was expensive to get here, but it was worth every dollar.

 

To keep it cheap, Steve tried to hitchhike as much as possible. The public transport was minimal in this country and if you used it you missed half of all the amazing views. Renting a car himself was too expensive, though. As were hotels. He moved from one camp to the other. Some were luxurious, with a hot tub, a pool and a television room, but others didn't even have showers. Steve didn't mind, he would just jump in a lake if he had the chance.

 

But right now he was in a tiny town with two restaurants, three souvenir shops, two places arranged trips to the nearby caves, and a campsite with toilets, showers, and a pool. Steve was looking forward to it. He would pay for a place to put up his tiny tent, he'd grab some food and then he'd take a dip in the pool.

 

Steve was walking towards the reception building when there was a loud bang somewhere behind him. It sounded like a gunshot, but when he turned around there was only a car and a lot of smoke. He quickly walked to the car and asked the driver if he was alright.

 

A man, probably in his early thirties, with dark hair, a goatee, and big sunglasses stepped out of the car and opened the hood to take a look at the motor.

 

'Fuck! I'm not alright!' he groaned.

 

Steve dropped his backpack and peeked into the car as well. It looked pretty bad. Overheated motor, but there was probably more damage, it was hard to see with the smoke.

 

'Fuck my life,' groaned the man. 'I'm broken down in the middle of fucking nowhere! No garage, no hotel, not a fucking thing around here!'

 

'When it cooled down I can help you fix it, if you want,' Steve offered. 'We might get it to work again, and then you can drive to a garage to have it properly fixed.'

 

'I'd do that if we could, Brooklyn- boy,' the man said. 'But by the time this thing cooled down, the sun will be setting and it will be too dark to see a damn thing! There are no street lights.'

 

'Is my accent that bad?' Steve asked.

 

'Nah, only if you're from around there. I live in Manhattan. Tony Stark, nice to meet you. Do you have a car, maybe?'

 

'Steve Rogers, and I'm hitchhiking, so I don't have a car. Not enough money for a car. All I have is a tent. It's big enough for two, if you want to stay with me. Might be a little bit more comfortable than sleeping in your car. We could try to fix it tomorrow.'

 

Tony sighed deeply. 'Yeah, I guess I don't have much of a choice. Thanks.'

 

They pushed the car to the parking lot, before they asked for a camp site at the reception desk. They found out there were cabins as well and Tony immediately asked for one, assuring Steve he would pay. But all the cabins were rented, and no amount of money could convince the lady behind the counter to kick some of the other people out, no matter how much Tony pleaded.

 

They ended up with a camp site. Steve set up the tent. He had only one air bed, but he promised Tony he could have it, if Steve could have the pillow. Tony could only agree.

They walked to the restaurants and chose the one that served pizza. There were only a few other tourists around, so there was plenty of space. They found a table in the sun and waited for their pizza.

 

'So, what are you doing in New Zealand?' Steve asked.

 

'I was in Auckland for business,' Tony started. 'Only took two days, so it was a bit of a waste to fly here for just that. I haven't had a vacation in a long time, so I decided to see a bit of the country. Didn't think it would be this boring. I try to get from city to city, but they're too far apart!'

 

Steve laughed. 'There aren't many big cities in New Zealand. And more importantly, you miss out on a lot of fun things if you drive past all the villages. If I had a car I would go to all those little places that other tourists miss out on!'

 

'Aren't you bored on your own?' Tony asked. 'This is my third day of traveling and I don't see why people like this.'

 

'I guess it's more fun with a friend,' Steve agreed. 'But it's harder to find a ride if you're together, two people and their luggage take a lot of space. I do get to meet a lot of people this way, so it's never really lonely. It's fun to explore a place like this, not knowing how or even if you will arrive in the town you wanted to go. Takes a lot of planning, because I do have to end up close to a camp site every night, but that's part of the fun. A bit of a challenge.'

 

'It's vacation, I need fluffy beds, great food and sun!' Tony sighed. 'Not a survival camp!'

 

'But if you only go from city to city you miss out on places like this. This town isn't much, but they seem to have amazing caves, with glow worms! You won't find those in fluffy beds or big pools! Don't you want to see something of this country?'

 

'You know what, if you help me fix my car, we'll go to those caves tomorrow. I'll pay!' Tony promised.

 

'Deal!' Steve grinned.

 

They talked more about the things Steve had seen and done on his trip and the very few things Tony had seen as they finished their pizza. They walked back to the campsite where Steve dug through his bag and fished out swimming trunks and a towel.

 

'If you need me, I'm in the pool,' he said to Tony who was playing with his phone.

 

'They have a pool?' Tony asked.

 

'I don't think it's heated, but yes, they have a pool,' smiled Steve.

 

Tony ran after his new friend and followed him to the pool. The pool itself wasn't heated, but there was a little hot tub right next to it. Big enough for about five people. Tony hurried to his car to get his own swimming trunks. He changed in a shower stall before he walked to the pool. Steve was already swimming around and Tony had to tear his eyes away from his naked chest. The man looked amazing.

 

Tony sat down in the hot water, facing the slowly setting sun. He really enjoyed the warmth and lazily closed his eyes. Maybe camping wasn't so bad.

 

He was practically sleeping when the water moved. Tony opened his eyes and found Steve sitting next to him. There were a few others in the pool now, a few kids who were splashing around. Probably the reason why Steve got out.

 

'So, were you in the army?' Tony asked as he pushed up his sunglasses and nodded at the dog tags around Steve's neck.

 

'Yeah, a few years, I was sent out once, but it was not for me,' Steve explained. 'Started studying art. More my thing. But I’ve finished now, I graduated two months ago, so it was time to relax a little.'

 

'I did the same, but my vacation was more like a party with too much alcohol and too many women that lasted too long,' Tony laughed. 'I've got my own company now, so I had to grow up a little.'

 

'You have your own company?' Steve said surprised.

 

'Yeah, Stark Industries, haven't you heard of it?' Tony asked, equally surprised.

 

'That's you?!' Steve asked shocked. His face turned bright red and the color slowly spread over his chest as well. 'I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I wouldn't have made you sleep in a tent if I knew!'

Tony laughed. 'I didn't have much of a choice, so no worries. This is going to be a new experience! I was just like a normal guy until I told you, so don't go treating me differently now. I like how down to earth you are.'

 

'Thanks,' Steve smiled, shaking his head at his own stupidity.

 

After a while, it became colder. Too cold to stay in the water, so they got out and wrapped themselves in their towels. They took a shower and got dressed again before heading to the television room. There was no one there, so they fell down on an old, but comfy, couch together and watched some silly New Zealandish show. Tony made fun of it and gave sarcastic remarks that made Steve laugh.

 

When the show was over they went back to the tent and grabbed their toothbrush. With a flash light they found their way to the washrooms and got ready for bed. Tony was a bit freaked out to stand together with guys in sweaters, shorts and slippers who were all brushing their teeth or shaving their faces. There was no privacy at all! He quickly brushed his teeth before going outside and waiting for Steve, who had the flashlight. Together they walked back to the tent.

Steve changed into his pajamas and prepared the 'beds'. He unzipped the sleeping bag, so they could use it as a blanket together. The tent was so small they had to lie close together anyway. When Steve was done, Tony still hadn't changed clothes.

 

'Don't you have pajamas or something?' Steve asked.

 

'I normally sleep in my underwear,' confessed Tony. 'So, no, but I can sleep in this shirt.'

 

'Jeans aren't very comfortable though, even if they're short,' Steve said as he searched through his bag. He found a pair of pajama bottoms. 'You can wear these.'

 

Tony changed and they crawled under the sleeping bag. Within minutes Steve was asleep and Tony could hear him snore softly. How the hell could he sleep? He didn't even have an air mattress! Tony did and his back was still killing him. He missed his memory foam, his super soft blankets, and his fluffy pillow. He tossed and turned, but he couldn't sleep. It got worse when Steve turned in his sleep and snuggled up against Tony. The billionaire just lay awake, not sure what he was supposed to do.

 

He must have fallen asleep eventually, because he woke up when an alarm went off. Steve quickly turned it off and sat up. He grabbed some clothes out of his bag and changed as quietly as he could. Tony groaned. Everything hurt.

 

'I'm going for a run,' Steve said. 'You can sleep a little longer.'

 

'What time is it?' Tony asked with a raw voice.

 

'Half past seven,' Steve answered. 'I'll be back in an hour or so.'

 

Tony groaned again. When Steve was gone he grabbed the pillow and curled up under the sleeping bag. It was still uncomfortable, but he slumbered a little, not really sleeping, not completely awake. He only woke up again when Steve zipped open the tent an hour later. Tony sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

 

'Did you sleep well?' a very sweaty Steve asked as he searched for a towel.

 

'Worst night of my life,' Tony answered. 'Normally hot people only snuggle with me after sex. In a king size, super soft bed.'

 

Steve chuckled. 'Sex in here is not really an option, the whole campsite would hear it.'

 

'Shame,' Tony laughed out. 'Not that I’d be able to do anything right now, my back is killing me! How can you sleep on the ground all night and then feel good enough to run around for an hour?'

 

'It's more comfortable than when I was in the army,' Steve smiled. 'You get used to it. A hot shower might help.'

 

They grabbed their things and headed to the washrooms. Tony let the warm water run over his body. The small stall was kind of dirty, but he immediately felt better. He didn't move for almost twenty minutes, until Steve knocked on his door. He dried off, got dressed and shaved himself. He styled his hair and put on some creams, but he still looked tired. It would have to do for now. He was only going to fix his car anyway, didn't have to look good for that.

 

Steve had already prepared breakfast and was waiting in the kitchen with two steaming cups of coffee and some sandwiches. Tony downed the coffee and then finished Steve's as well. It tasted like mud, but fuck that, it was coffee!

 

Steve boiled some more water to make them both another cup. Tony tried his best to finish one sandwich. They were good, they were great, but he wasn't good with breakfast, normally he only drank coffee. It didn't matter, because Steve easily finished the other four sandwiches. The blond washed the dishes before he joined Tony to fix the car.

 

It wasn't too difficult to start the engine again. It only took them half an hour and they spend twenty five minutes searching for the problem and only five minutes to actually fix it. It had looked way worse last night, with all the smoke coming out.

 

'Now what?' Tony asked.

 

'We were going to see the glow worms in the caves, if you still want to,' Steve said. 'I already found a tour I want to do, but I'd like it if you'd join me.'

 

'I promised and I said I'd pay, so yes, let's go!'

 

They walked to one of the very few buildings and got in line at the service desk. Tony looked around and frowned. There were pictures of active people everywhere. Weren't they just going to take a look at some caves? He grabbed a flyer as Steve asked if there was still place for two people in the next tour. There were a few spots left, so Tony paid.

 

'Make sure you're ready in half an hour,' the lady behind the desk said. 'And can I get your sizes, then we can prepare wetsuits for you.'

 

Tony's eyes widened. He should have known that with someone like Steve they weren't going to make a simple boat tour. But wetsuits?

 

'Tony? You okay? What are your sizes?' Steve asked.

 

Tony told the lady his sizes quickly before he continued to read the flyer. Walking, swimming, climbing and tubing. Of fucking course. But the flyer said it was also for people who weren't in perfect shape. Great, hopefully his 'no shape at all' would be good enough. He followed Steve outside where they dropped down on a bench in the sun.

 

'You okay with what we're going to do?' Steve asked. 'Because if you're not, we can pick another one. No problem.'

 

'No, just make sure I won't drown. Give me mouth to mouth or something,' Tony said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

 

'I've got to admit that I'm very good at mouth to mouth, you might like it,' Steve shot back, with a rather flirtatious grin.

 

'Maybe I should try dying then, see if you really have magical lips. Knight in shining armor,' Tony flirted back.

 

They were interrupted by a girl who was on her own and who would go on the same cave tour as the two of them. She was glad to finally find some Americans, it was like all tourists their age were either Dutch or German. The girl herself was from Spain and explained that she had been without a job for a long time, so she went on a trip. Afterwards she'd try to find work in Australia. Tony watched as Steve talked with the girl and cracked a few jokes, but he was glad when she walked away again.

 

'Is that how you don't get lonely, travelling on your own?' Tony asked.

 

'Yes,' Steve answered. 'If I were alone right now, I'd probably go on this trip with her, maybe travel to the next village together and then we'd both go our own way again. I met a lot of really nice people that way.'

 

'Just don't give her mouth to mouth.'

 

'Not unless she's dying,' Steve grinned.

 

They made their way to a little bus and the tour guide drove them to their destination. They changed into their wetsuits and helmets before they put their clothes and bags in a locker. The guide brought them into the caves and their tour started. They had to walk and climb a little before they had to get in the tubes. The water was rough, but not too rough and Tony really enjoyed being pushed around in the tube, finding his way through the dark caves. The only light came from the small lamps on their helmets.

 

They ended up in a cave where the water was really quiet. They hardly moved in their tubes when the guide told them to turn off their lights. As it became dark, hundreds of little green lights appeared on the ceiling. The glow worms were almost like stars, the longer you looked, the more lights you noticed. It was beautiful and Steve wished he could make a picture.

They stayed in the cave for a while, enjoying the view, before they were told to put their lights back on. They had to peddle their way through the calm water, before it got rougher again and they just had to hold on tight. It ended with climbing back up, carrying the tube, until they arrived at the starting point.

 

As they dried off and got dressed again, Tony checked his watch. They had spent several hours in the caves and he had to admit he had fun. It hadn't been that difficult at all.

 

'No need for mouth to mouth,' Steve smiled as Tony stepped out of his dressing room.

 

'No, sadly not, I survived,' Tony laughed. 'But I got to see you in a wetsuit, that was a nice surprise.'

 

Steve snorted. 'I bet it was. Let's grab a bite before we move on.'

 

They ate at the other little restaurant this time. They didn't linger, but simply ate their lunch before they went back to the camp site. They packed the tent, grabbed their bags and they put everything in the back of the car. Tony drove them to the next spot on Steve's list. The place had a camping shop where Tony bought an air mattress, a pillow and a sleeping bag.

 

For the next two weeks they toured through New Zealand, following Steve's plan, visiting campsites in the area, seeing the most beautiful parts of the country. The nights were hell, but the days were the most fun Tony had had in a very long time. They climbed mountains, walked around the bluest lakes they had ever seen, and went whale watching. They visited the zoo to see kiwi, went shopping in Wellington and made a helicopter flight over the highest mountain of the country.

 

Two weeks passed by too fast. Tony offered Steve to take the car, he would pay for it, but Steve refused. When you were alone hitchhiking was more fun, and filling up the car all the time would be expensive. But Steve did go to the airport with Tony.

 

'Guess this is goodbye then,' Steve said, sadness in his voice, but a smile on his face.

'For now, Brooklyn boy,' Tony grinned back. 'You return in a month or so. Let's meet up in New York. Visit my place, I'll show you what vacation means to me!' He put his card in Steve's chest pocket.

 

Steve smiled, for real this time, as he put his hand over his pocket. 'I'd love to. I'll give you a call when I get back.'

 

'Yeah, have fun. And don't help strangers who's cars have broken down. They might like you, kidnap you for a few weeks, and try to steal your heart,' Tony warned, a serious tone in his voice.

 

'Impossible,' Steve stated. 'How can anyone steal it when you packed it and will take it back to the U.S.?'

 

Steve tried to look confident, but his nervousness was showing. Tony didn't notice it, because he was too busy beaming. His smile was bigger than Steve had ever seen before and he loved it. He moved forward and kissed Tony softly. The smile felt even better against his lips.

 

'See you in a month or so,' Steve whispered after they parted.

 

'I wasn't planning on kissing you until we had a date in New York,' Tony whined. 'Now I'm addicted! How can I go a month without that? You know I...'

 

Steve stopped him with another kiss. There wasn't enough time to waste it on blabbering. He took Tony in his arms and kissed him again, less soft this time. He kissed him with more confidence, more force, and Tony responded eagerly. He wrapped his arms around Steve as well and licked his lips. Steve smiled a little before opening his mouth and deepening the kiss.

Neither of them knew how long it lasted. A minute, two minutes, ten minutes? They didn't care. They only stepped apart when the electronic voice called for the passengers of Tony's flight to go to their gate. Tony gave Steve a small peck on his cheek.

 

'See you in New York.'

 

'Yeah, see you in New York.'

 

Tony took his hand luggage and walked away. He turned around once to give a small wave. Steve grinned and waved back. When Tony had disappeared behind the doors Steve hoisted his backpack over his shoulder and went to find a ride.

 

For a moment he considered going home earlier. A month was a long time, maybe he should just stay for a week or two? But Steve decided against it. He'd worked hard for this vacation and he would probably never see this beautiful country again, while Tony might have been a simple summer love. He didn't hope so, but that was how summer love worked, right? Tony was a billionaire, he might not want to be seen with a guy like Steve. It was okay in New Zealand, where no one paid attention to them,  but not in New York. Steve was just another jobless guy after all.

 

He had a month to think about it. They both had a month to think about it. But Steve knew for sure that he was going to call Tony again, as soon as he got back home. This month was going to be so long! Or that’s what he thought the moment he left the airport. His mind was filled with thoughts of Tony and the first few days after he left were pretty lonely. But New Zealand was beautiful and distracting and climbing Mount Taranaki was not something Steve could have done with Tony. The tour to the top and back was eight hours and you had to be in really good shape to make it. Steve enjoyed it immensely.

 

He met two really fun guys who travelled around together and who were on their way to the Lord of the Rings set. Steve hadn’t planned to go there, but the three of them had so much fun that he decided to join them. It was much more interesting than he had thought and he took over a hundred pictures. For a night Steve and the guys stayed on the same campsite before they went their own way again. Steve went on boat rides, he went mountain biking, and he walked for miles through the beautiful nature, but he also went souvenir shopping and he visited several museums about Maori culture. He had the best time ever!

 

Until he found himself on the plane back home. His skin was tanned, his hair was getting way too long, his muscles ached, and he felt very relaxed, but also lonely. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss New Zealand, it had only been a few hours, but he already wanted to go back. But that wasn’t the loneliness he felt. He missed Tony. He missed Tony’s enthusiasm, his funny comments on everything they had seen, his complaining about not having enough space, his knowledge about everything, and the never ending chattering. Steve realized he had tried to fill his days with activities, so he wouldn’t hear how quiet it actually was without Tony.

 

Steve took Tony’s card out of his wallet and looked at the private number that was scribbled on it. He would send Tony a message as soon as he was back. The moment the plane arrived at the gate Steve pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on.  


‘I’m back in New York again. Want to meet up sometime this week?’

He didn’t get a reply, but Tony was probably busy with whatever people did who owned a company. It made Steve a little sad, he had hoped Tony was just as happy that Steve was back in the U.S. as Steve himself was. But even when he dragged his backpack from the carousel, half an hour later, there was still no reply. With a sigh he put his phone back in his pocket and made his way to the exit. A few dozen people were waiting out there to welcome their friends and family back. In the middle of all those people was a guy wearing a hoodie and shiny sunglasses. The moment Steve stepped through the door the guy took the sunglasses off.

 

Steve’s held his breath. For a few seconds he stood still, until someone bumped into him. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that Tony Stark was waiting for him. Steve ran towards the other man and wrapped his arms around him. Tony grinned widely as he wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist in return.

 

‘You look even better than the last time I saw you,’ he said softly.

 

‘You do too. In my hoodie,’ Steve replied, trying to sound stern, but he couldn’t stop a smile. ‘I thought I had lost it.’

 

‘Yeah, I might have kind of stole that from you,’ Tony answered, his grin only growing bigger. ‘Not really my style, but I couldn’t have the press find out that I was waiting for some hot guy at the airport. We’d be in every newspaper tomorrow.’

 

‘Keep it, it looks better on you than it does on me,’ Steve said, before he kissed Tony. He had missed those lips more than he would ever admit out loud.

 

‘How did you even know what flight I was on?’ Steve asked when they separated. They walked towards the parking lot where Tony had a car waiting.

 

‘I got impatient and I hacked into the passenger lists of the airline,’ Tony admitted. ‘You wouldn’t be back for another few days, so I helped them upgrade their security systems. So, want me to take you home? You’re probably tired, it was a long flight, and economy class is just….ugh. Jet lags are the worst, so I thought I’d pick you up, so you’d at least have a comfortable ride home.’

 

Steve smiled. He had missed the rambling.

 

‘I slept on the plane, so I’m good. How about we drop my luggage and you take me out for coffee then? I haven’t had a proper cup of coffee for weeks!’

 

Tony grinned. ‘Sounds good. I know just the place!’


End file.
